The action follows criticism of the company’s initial name and payment system by worker advocacy groups and internet users, who deemed them exploitative and dehumanizing.
India’s largest home services company, Urban Company, changed the name of their contentious 15-minute house-help booking service from “Insta Maids” to “Insta Help” in response to a flurry of social media outcry and labor union condemnation.
The change was made in response to criticism of the company’s payment structure and original name by worker advocacy groups and internet users, who described it as exploitative and dehumanizing. Urban Company justified the service as a means of “formalizing and uplifting” the domestic work sector, however the workers’ base salary of Rs 49 per hour was heavily criticized.
The business said, “Words matter,” when announcing the name change on X (previously Twitter). For this reason, Insta Maids has changed its name to Insta Help since growth, dignity, and respect begin with the name and extend beyond. We appreciate your input and the assistance you provided in this modification.
Critics counter that this isn’t merely a branding problem. The Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers is among the worker unions who have denounced the business model as a “blatant exploitation of gig platform domestic workers.” What’s their worry? Domestic workers are forced into a low-paying, hyper-speed structure by Urban Company’s microtasking strategy, which puts client convenience ahead of equitable pay and decent working conditions.
Urban Company appeared to have anticipated that their phrase choice would spark controversy even before the outcry. In a long post on X, the firm acknowledged that although “Insta Maids” was becoming popular, they had misjudged the term’s cultural significance. “Insta Maids” was ideal from a marketing standpoint; it immediately connected with our target population and quickly gained popularity. Just over the weekend, thousands of people used our app to search for “Insta Maids”! The message said, “This made the decision even harder.”
However, when social media users pointed out that the word “maid” had gendered, archaic, and frequently humiliating overtones, pressure grew. Others were blunter: One user said, “Pay your workers a living wage.”
The organization maintains that its service partners are eligible to get advantages like free health insurance and accident coverage, as well as pay up to Rs 150–180 per hour (Rs 20,000–25,000 per month). Nonetheless, the disparity between corporate rhetoric and employee reality continues to be a controversial issue, with the base rate for shorter jobs beginning at Rs 49.
Urban Company’s change from “Insta Maids” to “Insta Help” may be a semantic win, but labor rights activists contend that equitable compensation and moral working conditions—rather than merely rebranding—are necessary for genuine development.
